From Sept. 14 to Oct. 23, we'll be following four entrepreneurs as they go through the first steps of starting their own small business. From incorporating their business to landing the right space and everything in between, these bloggers will share their ups and their downs with Canadians as they take the first step towards their dreams.

Meet the bloggers below and make sure to check out the Starting Small blog to keep up with their hectic journey.

Shawn Konopinsky: I remember the moment I decided to start my own business vividly - it started during a conversation with a fellow ex-developer from Microsoft. During that discussion, we both lamented over our frustration on how the mismanagement of a project we were deploying for a major U.S. financial institution was compromising our ability to create the best possible product.

It was clear that the absence of design thinking and the appropriate approach to software development was to blame. The question we continued to come back to was: How could we properly guide how these applications were developed to ensure a much higher quality result?

I am honoured to have the opportunity to share the experiences of starting my boutique digital design and software development business with you, the CBC readers.


Kerry Butt and Meg Watson: The Future of Frances Watson is a dream that came to be out of a night terror. Kerry Butt was on her way home from the vintage clothing shop she owned and saw a "For Rent" sign in a store front she had always loved. She immediately started texting her friend Meg Watson, brainstorming what they could do with that space.

After a week of non-stop brainstorming, business planning, budgeting, six-packs, 12 -packs and two-fours, The Future of Frances Watson was born. It's fun, it's hectic, it's a lot of work and at the end of the day, we are so lucky for the people who have come to our rescue with funding, tool boxes, beers, vans, paint and sailboats. We hope you'll follow along with us on our crazy journey.

Neil explains his business and why he's looking forward to sharing his experiences with Canadians. Watch video below.

Follow the team on Twitter at #cbcsmallbiz